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maybe you need foot retention if you have a very spinny gear and you live in a city with a lot of hills. I use regular MKS touring pedals on my commuter fixed gear. I don't recall ever experiencing my feet slipping from the pedals, ever... but I live in a flat city and my gear ratio is 53/17. I can skid by putting my foot under the pedal and pulling up.
but if we are going to talk about aesthetics and minimalism, i would argue straps like this shit looks like ass...